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Apricot Hazelnut and Sage Coastal Crackers

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raw gluten free Apricot Hazelnut and Sage Coastal Crackers displayed on a kitchen towel

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~

Our local grocery store has a nice line-up in the produce section of fresh organic herbs.  I tend to find myself standing in front of them, thumbing through as if they were a deck of cards.

Like a magician, the words…  “Pick a card, any card….”  run through my mind.  This time I picked sage and I have to say that I  appreciate the distinctive taste and scent of sage, along with its velvety, evergreen foliage.

With a little “Google investigative work” I dug up some interesting facts about sage. It is an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, diuretic and is good for digestive problems, oral health, and memory loss.

I also read that it is good to sip cold sage tea for menopausal problems such as sweating, hot flashes, and headaches.  Not that I am menopausal, but I am pretty much guaranteed that life will eventually usher me to it, through it, and hopefully I will come out alive (lol)… so it is good to take note of such things.

Digestive wise sage is a carminative herb, which can be used to treat cramps, wind (gas) and intestinal spasms caused by indigestion and it also promotes bile flow. All hail the mighty sage. :)   Dr. Google also mentioned a bunch of stuff about how it improves memory but I don’t remember what.  ;)  Guess I need more sage in my diet.

To be honest, I really wasn’t that familiar with the taste or exactly how to use it.  But I was ready for my new culinary challenge.  When I got home from my grocery shopping trip, I put all the grocery bags on the kitchen counter, and then dug through to find my fresh sage.  Leaving everything just sitting there, I grabbed a stool and sat down at the island to check out my new (to me) herb.  sage plantThe leaves were firm, wide and flat with a furry winter coat on them.  Where have I seen this before???  I sat there for a while thinking… pondering… wracking my brain.  I brought my attention to our farm, did I see it growing somewhere while I was out for a walk?  Remember, I am the girl who tore out rosemary because I thought it was some invasive weed.  So one can never be too sure with me.

So, I started looking through my photos… I knew I had seen something like this… then I found it!  Close but no carrot.  But they look like they could be second cousins to my great grandfather’s x-wife’s brother… don’t ya think?  By the way, does anyone know what this plant is?  It is growing alongside our driveway.

a stack of raw gluten free Apricot Hazelnut and Sage Coastal Crackers displayed on a wooden table

Ingredients:

Yields 63

Cracker base:

Almond milk sludge:

Topping:

Preparation:

  1. Dice the dried apricots into small bits. Don’t rely on the food processor to do this job. They will just stick to the blades and just spin around and around and around.
  2. In the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, pulse together the hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax, pepper and celery salt.
  3. Add the almond pulp, almond milk sludge, vinegar, sweetener (of choice) and minced fresh sage. Process into a thick batter that is almost paste-like.
  4. Divide in half and spread out on two teflex sheets that come with the dehydrator. Spread to about 1/4″ thick. Square of the edges and score into preferred shapes and sizes. Optional but I did this… I took a meat tenderizer and stamped each cracker square.
  5. Sprinkle extra minced fresh sage and sunflower seeds on top and gently pat into the batter. Add a coarse finishing salt on top.
  6. Dehydrate at 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, then reduce to 115 degrees for up to 16 hours or until dry.
    • Keep in mind that once they cool, they crisp up some. So it a good idea to pull a cracker out every once in a while and let is cool to room temp to test it for doneness.
  7. Store in airtight container on the counter for 5-7 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Culinary Explanations:

a close up raw gluten free Apricot Hazelnut and Sage Coastal Crackers displayed on a wooden table

25 thoughts on “Apricot Hazelnut and Sage Coastal Crackers

  1. Jeannette says:

    AmieSue, your mystery plant is mullein I believe.

    Check out these googled images to compare with your photo.
    Does your plant have tall spikes of yellow flowers as you see in the googled images?

    http://www.google.com/search?q=mullein&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=8t-fVLnEBte1oQTKn4KQCg&ved=0CIcBEIke

    Jeannette

    • amie-sue says:

      By-golly Jeannette, that is it. :) Thanks for the link. They are sure pretty, aren’t they? Great to hear from you. Have a wonderful week. amie sue

  2. Megan says:

    I think the plant is lambs ear. Crackers look delicious.

  3. Kathleen Bryce says:

    That soft pale green plant is “Lamb”s Ear”. good for edging in a garden.

    • amie-sue says:

      Great idea Kathleen. That would be gorgeous actually. So far it is just growing wildly but I could see purposely planting it in just the right spots making it look so lush. It is sooo pretty. Have a great evening, amie sue

  4. Cindy says:

    Plant looks like mullein to me.

  5. amy says:

    The fuzzy plant in the picture is mullein. Fabulous herb for lungs and bronchial conditions. Also good for making tinctures for ear problems. Thanks for the recipe Amy Sue!!!

    • amie-sue says:

      Your welcome Amy :) and thank you for that info. So fascinating. I really want to learn more about the natural vegetation around me and how it can or can’t be used. Off to research! Blessings, amie sue

  6. Nancy says:

    My guess as to what that plant is would be lambs ears.
    We had some appear in our garden a few years ago. They have a pretty yellow flower stalk.

    • amie-sue says:

      Hi Nancy,

      Did you plant them yourself or did they creep in? :) It’s amazing how tall the flower stalk got, specially from such a low growing plant. Sweet dreams, amie sue

  7. Nancy Lober says:

    I think the plant is lamb’s ears or lamb’s quarters.They grow like weeds.

    • amie-sue says:

      So far I am noticing them just along the driveway… they are quite lovely. :) I will do my research on lamb’s ear. Thank you :) amie sue

  8. Kathy says:

    Thank you Amy for sharing your beautiful recipe and beyond stunning photo’s! I really enjoyed your post as always. The plant you are wondering about is called Lamb’s ear. I am not sure of it’s botanical name though(?) They are now used as ground cover and when they flower the flower grows much like lavender they produce a long stock blossom with pink to purple small flowers. These plants have a lot of unique history and uses from the past.Hope this helps? Stay well.

    • amie-sue says:

      Thank you Kathy, I appreciate you sharing that with me. :) I just love these plants and they do shoot up a flower in the center…gets really tall then dies. So nice to hear from you. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Blessings and hugs, amie sue

  9. Carolyn Killough says:

    If it’s as soft/fuzzy feeling as it looks in your photo, it’s Lamb’s Ear. I never heard of it until I started learning about herb gardening after moving to upstate N.Y. ( decades ago.) It is decorative, not edible, as far as I know.) I was just transfixed by it, and it gave me lots of pleasure seeing it thrive. Living in AZ. now, it probably would not survive our triple digit summer heat. Maybe? Lots of water, bad idea for conservation, and shade. Hey it’s the desert.

    • amie-sue says:

      I love the fuzzy leaves too Carolyn. They remind me of bunny ears. hehe I never saw them when we were in AZ… though AZ does have its unique vegetation as well. :) Many blessings and have a wonderful week. amie sue

  10. Kim says:

    The plant is mullein. Edible. I like to stand at the tall plant, pick the tiny flowers, remove the pencil thin bugs and eat them. Healthy for the lungs. Can be dried and smoked to help expell toxins. I’m sure there is more about this beautiful plant but that is what I know. I’ve also made tinctures with mullein.

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